Category: Living Your Best Life

What a busy week it has been! If you’re an educator in a public school in Florida, you know what the time after Christmas Break is all about: testing! We’ve officially entered into what is referred to as Crunch Time or what I refer to as the Most Stressful Time of the Year, the time that we put all of our energy into prepping our students for state testing (more about my feelings on this in a future post). This week was filled with practice testing every morning for our students which of course threw off the rest of each day. Needless to say, this week was an interestingone.

However, I was still able to work on some of my goals in week 2 of My Journey to 40. (To read about Week One click here.) Here’s how this week went.

Fitness Goal – Although I didn’t meal prep for lunch this week, I believe I did a good job with eating. However, I’m still struggling with the water intake. As a teacher, it’s hard for me to drink so much water during the day since I don’t have the freedom to just run to the bathroom like I need to do. However, I did hit my step goal (10,000) EVERY DAY this week! Whoop whoop! Yay for me! I even went walking and did some strength training. I’m bringing sexy back!!!!!!

New Adventure: This week Hubby and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. One of my ideas for having an adventure or new experience was for us to try a new restaurant (you know, break away from the routine), but since I wasn’t allowed to help with planning anything for our anniversary, I wasn’t sure if this goal would be met. Hubby had done the planning, and he just told me that we needed to be where we were going by 7:30 that Friday night. Well, my goal was met! We went to a new restaurant (new for us) and had a great time. Hubby had gotten a recommendation from a friend about where to take me. I was happily surprised by the food, ambiance, and location. I even tried oysters and clams for the first time. Hubby always eats them so I decided to try for the first time. Was I impressed? Not really, but at least I can say that I tried them (shrugs). The next morning Hubby arranged for us to have our first ever couple’s massage. I enjoyed every minute of it and left feeling like I was floating! We followed our massages by eating breakfast at a new restaurant as well. Weren’t we the adventurous pair? This was a great anniversary, and I look forward to celebrating many more with this crazy, yet loving, man of mine.

Our wedding day!

Our appetizer!My dinnerUs in front of the beautiful view from our table

Week one of My Journey to 40 has certainly been a special one for me. It was my first week back in the classroom after our two week Christmas Break. It was not a good week. It was extremely busy and frustrating with many ups and downs, and it almost seemed as if it would overshadow my week 1 goals, but nope, nope, nope. I wouldn’t let any of it get in my way. (See my post about that here.) Here’s a recap of what I managed to accomplish this week.

Fitness Goal – I increased my water intake (although I didn’t reach my goal every day). Next week I will work on meeting that goal each day. Although it might not seem like much to others, I am aiming for the recommended 8 glasses of water a day (64 ounces). Once I hit that goal consistently, I will increase my goal. I also exercised 3 days this week and joined a FitBit challenge with some friends. I’m determined to increase my steps (daily goal of 10,000) so I can move up a few spots in the challenge. On top of all of that, I’m proud of myself for prepping my lunch for the week which I had gotten pretty lazy about doing.
Hit those 10,000 stepsCrushed my Herbalife shakeMy lunch for the week

New Adventure or Trying Something New – While this may not be an exciting adventure to some, this was important for me because it is something that I have been meaning to do for quite some time, and it proved to be quite fruitful. I am a graduate of the awesome, phenomenal, one and only, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, the best HBCU around (I may be a little bias). For the longest, I have been meaning to go to our local chapter meeting for our FAMU Alumni Association. I finally said enough is enough; it was time for me to support my alma mater, not just brag about it. I’m so glad that I did. When you ask for opportunities to get more involved, God will certainly answer. At the meeting, one committee was looking for someone who could take pictures for their annual calendar fundraiser (hey, that’s me), and they needed someone to help with editing the profiles of people featured in the calendar (hey, that’s me again). So I stepped out of my comfort zone and signed up. I even made sure to speak to the woman in charge of the committee and give her my name and number (something that is out of character for me to do). The other great thing that came from attending this meeting flows into #3 on this list: my Random Act of Kindness.

Rocking my FAMU gear

RAK – I’ve been looking for more ways to serve the community. I’ve also been looking for ways to serve with my children, to teach them about selflessly serving others, giving back to their community, giving without expecting to receive. At the meeting, there was a guest speaker from a local organization, and why was she attending the meeting? Not only was she a FAMU alumni, she was there representing the organization that was looking for more volunteers to help in their shelter. Our chapter gives regularly to the organization, but the organization also really needed people to come in and volunteer as well. And yes, children are welcomed. With Dr. Martin Luther King Day in just a couple of days, the organization was having a special day of service on Monday, the FAMU Alumni Association was looking for more people to volunteer to help, so I signed my boys and me up to volunteer. We’ll be there bright and early Monday morning ready to serve. (Next week’s post will give details about how this went). 4. Last but not least, I finally settled on a preliminary draft of my logo for my photography business, Natural Soul Photography. The best part of it is the fact that it was drawn by my 14-year-old son! What do you think? I can’t wait to get it on products (business cards, shirts, hats) and move forward with increasing my business. This has been a long journey with getting my business off the ground, but I see a promising future.
My son created my logo for my photography company!

Stick around! The next eight weeks will bring bigger and better things! I’m making great plans for some fun adventures, random acts of kindness, and business moves!

I must admit that this was an off week for me. I was on an emotional roller coaster, frustrated with problems at the job and at home. Some moments I was mad, some sad, some indifferent. The second week into the new year was definitely not what I envisioned it to be.

But that’s just what is was: one week.

Not my entire life. Just ONE…aggravatingly…frustrating…week.

But I will not allow it to shape how I view my life because even in the midst of this less than stellar week, I had many moments of laughter and joy woven into those not so happy moments.

And I know that I will move on past this. That it’s not enough to derail me from the hopes and dreams I have for my future.

Plus every morning this week that I woke up feeling discouraged or overwhelmed, my devotionals always seemed to be tailored to exactly what I was going through, and I was renewed with enough strength to get through the day, to dust myself off and get back into the fight.

Actually, the frustrations of this week have lit a fire in me to keep pushing on! It has made me even more determined to stay focused on my goals, to stay on my hustle and grind and keep in mind the future I’ve envisioned for myself. I can’t let this bad week throw me off course.

So I’m writing this letter to encourage you, my readers, to do the same. Don’t let a bad moment, experience, day, week, or even month to turn you sour to this blessing called life.

Instead let these interruptions be character builders. Look for the lesson within them and figure out how to use them to your advantage and how to deal with them if the same situation rises again.

But don’t give up.

Never give up.

Find something or someone that you can go to that will help renew your spirit. Focus on all the good in your life. Take a walk and enjoy the beauty of nature surrounding you. Do whatever works for you. For me, it’s my morning prayer journal time and devotionals as well as the support of and the time spent with good family and friends.

Your story of adversity may be just what another person may need some day in the future, the story they need to hear as they are going through a similar trial or tribulation, the story that may help them to get back on their feet.

So don’t let a bad moment steal your joy. Don’t let it get you off track from pursuing your goals. Get back up and declare that you may have been knocked down but you will get back up again and again and again!

In 60 days, I will be turning the big 4-0. It’s hard for me to believe, but at the same time I am excited. I’m not sure if excited is even a strong enough word. You could not have told my 20 year old self that turning 40 would be a source of excitement. Back then, 40 just seemed, what’s the word…OLD. No one could have convinced me that I would feel young, energetic, be taking on brand new endeavors, and looking forward to creating brand new experiences and going on new adventures. But here I am, about to turn 40 and feeling blessed and expectant. Here are a few reasons why.

I’m still alive!!! If you’re my age or older, I know you completely relate to this. By this time in life, you have become more than aware of your own mortality. You’ve seen friends and loved ones pass away suddenly or tragically or you’ve heard numerous stories of regret form older folks, and you begin to realize just how fragile life is and just how important each new day is. God still has me here for a purpose, and I want to fulfill it. No time to waste!

I’ve accomplished quite a few things that I set out to do or pictured for my life. I have a college degree, I’m happily married with some pretty awesome kids, own a very nice, well-decorated home (thanks to hubby), I’ve almost finished paying off my car (just 6 months to go), I teach children every day and feel like I am doing a pretty good job with not only teaching but also inspiring, I’ve started my own photography business, and now I have my blog (I’ve always dreamed of being a writer). I’ve gotten closer to Christ over this past year which has completely changed the direction of my life, and I have a host of family and friends that I can spend quality time with or lean on in times of trouble. These accomplishments and so many others make me proud of the woman I have become and all that I’ve gotten done all before the age of 40.

Last, but not least, I have big dreams for my future, and some of them have only come to be because of the wisdom that I’ve acquired over the past 40 years. Twenty years ago… ten years ago…okay, five years ago, I would not have been able to envision the plans that I now have for my life. I was in a different place with different concerns. Just five years ago I was a divorced, single mom who had just started dating my current husband, I was renting a house with my brother and his family, and struggling to make ends meet. But look at my life now. It has been nothing but the grace of God and the wisdom and experience that come with age that have gotten me to this place and has me inspired to do even more. Also, much of what held me back was fear, but not any more. I’m kicking fear to the side and working hard to uncover the woman I have yet to become!

Growing up, I learned (as I’m sure many others did) that once you’ve chosen or found a job or a career you basically stick with it until it is time to retire. As long as your job paid the bills and you were saving up for retirement, you were good to go especially if you were working for a “good” company that offered “good” benefits and had a “good” pension. Life was as it should be and that’s all that you needed. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with finding a solid job/career (especially if it makes you happy) and retiring from it. It’s just that I wasn’t aware that there was a different way, that there was anything else out there. Don’t ask me how I thought these good companies had gotten started. It never occurred to me that someone had to create that business from an idea or passion that they had. I just knew that youworked for a company and theypaid you.

When I went to college, I wholeheartedly majored in English Education, absolutely certain that I wanted to be a teacher for the rest of my life (don’t get me started on that). When I landed my first teaching job, I was elated, ready to take on the world, educating our youth and setting them on a path to success. All was right with the world. Fast forward to a few years later. I was frustrated with my chosen career, the pay I was receiving, and how teachers were being treated. I was ready to try something new. Unfortunately, I felt trapped. It was a stable job, my degree in English Education didn’t really give me very many career options, and the schedule was perfect for a mom. I didn’t know what to do.

But then one day my friend who was also an English Education major (it’s how we met), quit her teaching job (right after winning Teacher of the Year in her school district) in order to pursue her dream of dancing professionally. It was like my eyes were finally opened to all of the possibilities that had been right in front of me the whole time. You could create your own job and income doing something fulfilling. You didn’t have to clock in to a 9 to 5 every day and work for someone else (or you could do that but still have your side hustle like I do now). Since that realization, I have started my own photography company (Natural Soul Photography), tried my hand at being a direct sales consultant with Thirty-One Gifts, as well as become a wellness coach with Herbalife (a hustle I’m still working on making a success). Oh, yeah. I now have this blog, too (and yes, this can be considered a business as well). (more…)

Most people are familiar with a vision board. Basically, you make goals for your life (usually for that upcoming year) and create a collage that represents those goals. It’s a way to bring to life your hopes and dreams and to have them somewhere you can see them every day, a visual reminder of all that you hope to manifest in your life.

I’ve done vision boards in the past, but last year I tried something different. I wanted something that I could carry around with me so that I could see it even when I wasn’t home. In order to do this, my friend, cousin, and I decided to create vision books. Okay, we didn’t really decide but rather stumbled upon the idea. We had no idea what we were doing; we were just playing it by ear. Since we made them out of spiral-bound notebooks that we already had, clippings from old magazines, and old scrapbooking materials, this proved to be an affordable and convenient project.

Our vision books turned out to be much like vision boards. Obviously, they were inspired by the concept. However, the books gave us a lot more flexibility. I’m a visual person, but I am very much a writer (hence, the blog). I love being able to write down my ideas, work through plans on paper, and write reflections about what I’ve done or I’m currently doing, what I’ve learned, and what I still want to accomplish. Our vision books gave me the freedom to do all of this.

Here is my vision book from last year. Like I said, it’s a simple notebook that I already had in stock (taken from my boys’ school supply stash), but you can easily purchase one for about $1 from any store. We had NO idea what we were doing when we created these; we just knew that we were ready to take charge of our futures and knew that we needed to put in writing our goals and dreams in order for them to manifest. As you can see, I named this my Dream Book back then. The cover and first few pages were just ones that spoke to my overall vision for the year.

Inside, I created separate layouts for each one of my goals. Here are a couple of them. I liked that I could further explain and break down my goals on each page.

3…2…1…Happy New Year! For some people this may be a fearful, uncertain time, but for most people this time of year symbolizes hope and a fresh start. People look forward to what the new year will bring and start making plans for all that they will accomplish which is usually done by making resolutions. We all know how this goes. January 1 rolls around and everyone is getting fit, saving money, eating less, kicking bad habits, starting good ones, blah, blah, blah. By February 1 most of these resolutions have been forgotten and old habits have kicked back in. Now I’m not being judgmental or facetioius because I, too, have been guilty of making lofty goals year after year, only to declare that the next year will be different, that I will reach all of my goals, and nothing’s going to get in my way. I am eager, enthusiastic, fearless, and hopeful. I can do anything!

We all know how this ends.

I’m not saying that it’s a bad idea to make goals or resolutions for the new year; actually, I think it’s a brilliant idea. But just like the luster of any new thing can wear off after a while, so does the appeal of your goals once you have to put the work in to maintaining them. Just think of the excitement you felt when you got your first job and all you had to do was use your paycheck on whatever you wanted to buy at the mall or some junk food you could grab on the way home from school. Do you still feel the same way about your job now? Probably not.

What I’ve discovered this past year is that in order to stick with your resolutions you need to have a bit of a mind shift with how you approach the entire task. This year (2017) has been the best for me with sticking to and achieving the goals that I set out for myself, and I plan to duplicate this for the new year. I thought I’d share with you what worked for me in hopes that it can inspire you to make and achieve your own goals. Here are the steps that I took. (more…)